THE genius of Nigel Kennedy’s musical instinct is seeking out radical new interpretations from an original musical source.

The result is invariably a revelation, whether it’s a redefinition of renaissance music, free-form jazz impro or, in this case, the music of the legendary Jimi Hendrix.

The intention’s clear from the outset, with a deliriously reconstructed Third Stone from the Sun and an audaciously dreamy and wildly remodelled version of Purple Haze opening the set.

Delicate and then lavish, concocting deafening and swooping time signatures, Kennedy holds court, conjuring a wild rapture from his electric violin.

The notes and riffs twist and turn as Kennedy connects with guitarists Doug Boyle and the tricky-fingered teenage newbie on the block Julian Buchberger.

Switching to acoustic violin, Kennedy catches the gaze of Tomasz Kupiec on bass and drummer Adam Czerwinski and, together with vibraphonist Orphy Robinson, creates a beautiful sense of enchantment for Little Wing and Drifting.

The emotional level ebbs and flows.

But it’s on Fire, Crosstown Traffic and the classic Hey Joe that Kennedy realises his virtuosic intent of producing a hyper-guitar sound, with the amalgamation of tone from his electric violin and the two guitarists.

Switching from heavy prog rock, heady flights of fusion, funk or blazing with psychedelics, the subtle melodies and distinctive riffs of Hendrix’s originals are the animus for Kennedy’s exuberant, wonderful journey of reinterpretation.

The album The Kennedy Experience is available on Sony Classical.

Review by Peter Lindley